Does postfeminism indicate (a) an attitude, (b) an optic, or (c)
an object? In search of answers, I perused databases, surfed Web
sites, pursued bibliographic leads, and queried friends, young and
old. It seems the answer is (d) all of the above. I was surprised
to see that while several books use the word (with Tania Modleski's
1991 Feminism without Women seminal), databases focused on
media journals yield little on the topic. In hopes that my
peregrinations will be of use to Cinema Journal readers, I
shall provide an overview of how "postfeminism" and "postfeminist"
have been used and by whom. I will then offer my "take" on which
recent films may be labeled postfeminist. Finally, I will sketch
where earlier postfeminist analyses will require updating and why,
if they are to "fit" postmillennial media artifacts.

As a noun, "postfeminism" has had at least three distinctly
feminine faces. For me, these range from A to G: "academic,"
"chick," and "grrrl." Since 1982, when the term first popped up in
a New York Times magazinearticle featuring "Voices from the
Postfeminist Generation," the most prevalent variant has been "C,"
or "chick," postfeminism.

Periodically promoted in magazines, debated on talk shows, and
paraded in newspapers, "chick" postfeminism entails a backlash
against or a dismissal of the desirability for equality between
women and men, in the workforce and in the family. "Chick"
postfeminists are generally young; a few are middle-aged; none seem
old (Botox helps). Many are hostile to the goals and gains of
second-wave feminism; others simply take these gains and goals for
granted. Some like to party, dress up, and step out, taking breaks
from work to date or shop; others stay home, tending hearth, hubby,
and kids.

A second, "wilder," bunch of postfeminists knows both popular
and academic haunts. Primarily American, these riot grrrls ("G"
postfeminists, aka third-wave feminists) are politically engaged
yet playful. They are happy to acknowledge the diversity among
women that "chick" postfeminism ignores, and they are eager to
carry on first- and second-wave feminist struggles. A third,
smaller group of "A" (for "academic") postfeminists is steeped in
French, British, and American postmodern, postcolonial,
poststructural, queer, (etc.), theory.

All three variants would seem tied to contemporary times, yet
many commentators note that postfeminism is not new and that
feminism is not "done" (e.g., postfeminism also emerged in the
1920s, after women won the vote). But if postfeminism can be said
to have a long(ish) history, the adjective "postfeminist" has been
applied to texts—from books and songs to TV programs and films to
paintings, cartoons, and photographs—only since the 1980s. Madonna
long reigned as postfeminist queen, thanks to her sexually charged
performances and mutating persona, rehearsed through songs, stage
shows, screen appearances, books, interviews, photographs, and
more.

To date, postfeminist discourse in film studies has concentrated
on big-budget late-1980s to early-1990s titles like Working
Girl (Mike Nichols, 1987), Fatal Attraction (Adrian
Lyne, 1987), Baby Boom (Charles Shyer, 1987), Pretty
Woman (Gary Marshall, 1990), Thelma and Louise (Ridley
Scott, 1991), Ghost (Jerry Zucker, 1991), and Basic
Instinct (Paul Verhoeven, 1992). Most commentators envision
postfeminism as a white "chick" backlash that denies class, avoids
race, ignores (older) age, and "straight"-jackets sexuality. A few
celebrate the poise, panache, and performance of the "girly woman"
or relish the coolly cutthroat competence of the "glam" exec. A
very few believe that boy characters or male critics can also be
postfeminists.

But can late-1990s and early-2000 films also be termed
postfeminist? If so, which ones? And what is at stake? Simply the
refashioning of previously "feminist" topics (rape, battery,
abortion rights, birth control, equal pay, child care, healthcare)
or the redesigning of previously "feminist" figures (outspoken
teens, working girls, embattled moms, poised professionals, gentle
men) along (post)millennial lines?

To explore whether and how postfeminist discourse may be applied
to contemporary films, let us examine two recent movies featuring
Latinas: Out of Sight (1998) and Real Women Have
Curves (2002). Admittedly, each reached a different audience.
Out of Sight is a star-studded (Jennifer Lopez, George
Clooney) $48 million studio (Universal...

You must be logged in through an institution that subscribes to this journal or book to access the full text.

Shibboleth

Shibboleth authentication is only available to registered institutions.

Welcome to Project MUSE

Use the simple Search box at the top of the page or the Advanced Search linked from the top of the page to find book and journal content. Refine results with the filtering options on the left side of the Advanced Search page or on your search results page. Click the Browse box to see a selection of books and journals by: Research Area, Titles A-Z, Publisher, Books only, or Journals only.